RIYADH: Procedures have been approved imposing various conditions for licensing foreign law firms in Saudi Arabia.
According to the Saudi website, Saudi Minister of Justice Dr. Waleed bin Muhammad Al-Samaani approved the plan to regulate the foreign law firms license in the kingdom.
The purpose of issuing the action plan is to raise the standard of the legal profession and develop it on modern lines as well as to improve the investment and business environment in the Kingdom.
The act outlines the duties and responsibilities of foreign law firms, sets out the requirements for the temporary license of law firms in the context of which law firms will provide legal advice to various projects.
Apart from this, the procedure for utilizing the services of foreign legal advisors has also been set.
The Foreign Law Firms Policy states that the law firm will not be allowed to start activities in the Kingdom before becoming a member of the Saudi Bar Association. A headquarters has to be established for its activities in the kingdom.
The scheme also stipulates that a partner representing a foreign law firm in the Kingdom must have at least 10 years of field experience, 3 of those 10 years in which he or she has been licensed to practice law. Later spent in this field.
It also states that for foreign law firms to adhere to the Saudization rate, the law firm must conduct a minimum 20-hour training course annually for each of its employees. A number of restrictions have been imposed on Saudi lawyers to allow them to gain better experience and professional qualifications in various fields.
The Minister of Justice has also given another 9 months to the lawyers associated with the cooperation agreements with foreign law firms to improve their situation.